Video: Kate Nash and Billy Bragg sing "A New England" at SXSW 2008

Erik G is a pretty calm guy, but when he watches this video of two of his favorite people --Kate Nash and Billy Bragg-- duet the song "A New England" he's going to FLIP! read more

The 2008 edition of South By Southwest has now come and gone. From the R.E.M. appearance and Vampire Weekend hoopla to the debut of She & Him and the new N.E.R.D. songs, SXSW 2008 truly offered something for everybody. It certainly was one for the ages. Were you in Austin and missed something? Didn't go at [...]

I've been asked a bunch of times since I've returned from Austin what my favorite set of the week was, and I'm pretty sure it was Kate Nash's Filter Courtyard finale that entertained me the most. I've never seen her live before, and she struck me as charming, smart, and very talented. And to top it all off, she sang one of my favorite songs ever, Billy Bragg's "A New England"...with Billy Bragg. I found a clip of most of that performance on YouTube. It sounded WAY better than this clip (posted below) [...]

• A New England/Foundations (Live @ NME Aw... » 01 Foundations _ A New England.mp3

I suppose I'll get to some proper posts later tonight, sorry for the delay. Until I can get a SXSW wrap-up finished, here's one of my highlights from last week -- really great stuff seeing Billy Bragg team up with Kate Nash for a few songs at the Filter day party on Saturday.

DOWNLOAD: Billy Bragg - O Freedom ( NEW MP3 ) Billy Bragg & Kate Nash @ FILTER Courtyard, SXSW 2008 ( jinners ) "Our friendship is based around an affinity for the Shangri-las ," said Bragg as he strapped on Nash's guitar, suggesting that this was more than just a deft move by her people to insulate her from knee-jerk criticism ("Well if Billy Bragg thinks she's a bit of alright then maybe..."), while also placing her within a grand British tradition of songwriters like Ray [...]